1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a control method of the printing apparatus, and a storage medium storing a program to perform the control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is a printing apparatus which is equipped with a post-processing apparatus of performing a post-process such as stapling or the like. Here, the printing apparatus like this generally has such a constitution that sheets (recording papers) on which images were printed respectively are transported one by one by the printing apparatus itself to the post-processing apparatus, the transported sheets are stacked on the tray of the post-processing apparatus, and then the post-process is performed to the stacked sheets.
Besides, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-206298 describes a printing apparatus which performs stapling to sheets inserted by a user to a process tray of a post-processing apparatus. It should be noted that such a function of the printing apparatus is called a manual stapling function.
Incidentally, as a timing of executing the manual stapling function, it is possible to set a timing when the sheet is detected by a paper-sheaf detection sensor, instead of a timing when a stapling button is depressed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-107322 describes a printing apparatus which prepares, as a timing of executing the manual stapling function, two timings, i.e., one is a timing when a sheet is detected by a paper-sheaf detection sensor and the other is a timing when a stapling button is depressed, and can change over these two timings.
The use of the manual stapling function resultingly occupies the post-processing apparatus. Therefore, when the sheet on which the image was printed by the printing apparatus is transported to the post-processing apparatus while the operation in a manual stapling mode is being performed, the transported sheet collides with the sheaf of sheets to which the manual stapling is performed, and thus a jam occurs in the post-processing apparatus. To prevent such inconvenience, a process of inhibiting the printing by the printing apparatus while the manual stapling function is being used (i.e., in the manual stapling mode) is necessary. Moreover, a process of not permitting the use of the manual stapling function (i.e., not permitting to shift to the manual stapling mode) during the printing by the printing apparatus is necessary.
In case of inhibiting the printing in the manual stapling mode, there is a possibility that the printing is not performed indefinitely if a user forgets releasing the manual stapling mode. In particular, since the printing apparatus which has been installed in an office is usually shared by a plurality of users, there is a possibility that the user who uses the manual stapling function is different from the user who wishes to perform the printing by the relevant printing apparatus. In such a case, if the user who used the manual stapling function forgets releasing the manual stapling mode, other users who wish to perform the printing cannot actually perform the printing indefinitely.